Lin Jiangguo, Kaur Parminder, Countryman Preston, Opresko Patricia L, Wang Hong
Physics Department, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA.
DNA Repair (Amst). 2014 Aug;20:142-153. doi: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2014.01.012. Epub 2014 Feb 22.
Telomeres play important roles in maintaining the stability of linear chromosomes. Telomere maintenance involves dynamic actions of multiple proteins interacting with long repetitive sequences and complex dynamic DNA structures, such as G-quadruplexes, T-loops and t-circles. Given the heterogeneity and complexity of telomeres, single-molecule approaches are essential to fully understand the structure-function relationships that govern telomere maintenance. In this review, we present a brief overview of the principles of single-molecule imaging and manipulation techniques. We then highlight results obtained from applying these single-molecule techniques for studying structure, dynamics and functions of G-quadruplexes, telomerase, and shelterin proteins.
端粒在维持线性染色体的稳定性方面发挥着重要作用。端粒的维持涉及多种蛋白质与长重复序列以及复杂动态DNA结构（如G-四链体、T-环和t-环）相互作用的动态过程。鉴于端粒的异质性和复杂性，单分子方法对于全面理解控制端粒维持的结构-功能关系至关重要。在本综述中，我们简要概述了单分子成像和操纵技术的原理。然后，我们重点介绍了应用这些单分子技术研究G-四链体、端粒酶和端粒保护蛋白的结构、动力学和功能所获得的结果。
